12 Lancaster County Organizations Awarded Sierra Club "Green Project" Grants
The Sierra Club Lancaster Group, as part of its Earth Day (April 22) activities, announced the names of 12 more Lancaster County organizations that have been awarded its "Green Project" Grants.
Each of the organizations, in submitted proposals, revealed a need for support of a venture that promotes sustainability, expands environmental awareness, and improves green infrastructure. With this latest round of awards, each ranging up to $500, a total of 122 Lancaster County organizations received Green Grants from the Sierra Club Lancaster Group over the past 12 years.
Those awarded 2026 grants, along with their projects, include:
-- Adamstown Area Library’s Grab & Grow Project, expanding its seed collection and strengthening partnerships with local growers and gardens as it continues offering educational programming on regenerative gardening.
-- Circle Legacy Center, Inc., purchasing supplies to support its “Three Sisters Garden” that grows corn, beans, and squash together (companion planting), a process the area’s early Indian Tribes used to obtain top yields and better nutrition using less space.
-- Conservation Foundation of Lancaster County, developing an environmental education workshop for teachers and the general public titled “Observing Local Life in Soil and Water,” which will focus on forms of observation used in nature journaling.
-- Historic Poole Forge, installing interpretive signs along its Nature Trail that will identify a new riparian planting area, wildflower meadow, and pollinator garden, and replacing damaged and deteriorated bird box posts and posts throughout the property.
-- Lancaster Conservancy, establishing a pollinator garden at the rear entrance to the building that houses its offices and improving an established garden along the sidewalk in front of the structure.
-- Lancaster School of Psychodrama and Experiential Psychotherapies, supporting its upcoming two-day experiential retreat, in Akron, titled “Ecopsychology: Partnering with the Healing Gifts of Nature.”
-- Lancaster Science Factory, removing sod in the center of its 3,300 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard and replacing it with a low-maintenance, low-water fescue mix, which is an attractive lawn alternative that still looks pristine.
-- Let's Go 1-2-3 in support of Lancaster’s “Outdoors for All Day”, purchasing native plants, materials, and supplies for this July 15 Reservoir Park event, which was created to expand environmental awareness of the city’s parks and green spaces.
-- Peace United Church of Christ, Denver, maintaining its community garden that provides the congregation and area residents with fresh produce.
-- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Lititz, restoring and enhancing the biodiversity of the meadow that is part of the church’s ongoing Sacred Grounds Initiative.
-- Thomas Wharton Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization, purchasing materials for development of a “KinderGarden” space and a Community Mural within the school’s current Wharton Wonder Garden.
-- Traditions of America East Petersburg (Home Owners Association), removing invasive plants and replacing them with native species across its 114-acre community property.
Awarded once a year, the grants are primarily supported with funds generated by the Group's Polar Bear 5K Trail Run/Hike and, more recently, with money donated to the Group through its participation in the ExtraGive. Charitable, educational, or business organizations in Lancaster County that demonstrate a commitment to the Sierra Club's mission of "exploring, enjoying and protecting the planet" are eligible to apply for a grant of $500 or less.
The deadline to apply for the next cycle of awards is Wednesday, March 31, 2027; recipients will be announced on Earth Day. For complete details about the Green Project Grant Program, visit the website, call (717) 475- 0586, or email jimsmeenan@gmail.com.
This blog was included as part of the May 2026 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!